Lusam: The Dragon Mage Wars Book One (21 page)

“Yes, thanks to you I am,” she replied. Mr Daffer suddenly appeared in the doorway behind her, and came to stand by her side. He reached down to take hold of Lucy's hand and squeezed it tightly, before turning back to Lusam.

“We can never thank you enough for what you have done for us Lusam. If there is anything you ever need, and it's within our power to grant it, you need only ask.”

“That's very kind of you Mr Daffer, but seeing Lucy well is reward enough. You've both done so much for us already. I'm just glad we were able to repay some of your kindness,” Lusam replied, then after a moments hesitation he added, “although, if it's not too much trouble, maybe some food and a drink would be great. I'm starving!”

“Oh … now I know he's going to be fine,” Neala said, rolling her eyes at him. Lusam just smiled at her,

while the rest of them laughed at Neala's comments.

After eating what tasted like the best food of his life, and drinking enough water to fill half a bathtub, he found himself with enough energy to get out of bed and search out his clothes. His head still hurt, but nothing like it had when he first awoke. He managed to get dressed and sit himself in
the chair next to the window.
The window overlooked the alley behind the shop, and it immediately reminded Lusam of the alley behind the baker's shop, where he'd spent so many days and nights. How different his life was now. How much easier it would be from now on. How much happier he would be now he had Neala. He knew he loved her, and he knew she loved him. Surely their future together would be great.

His day-dreaming was interrupted by a knock at the door, followed by the click of the door opening. Neala's smiling face appeared from behind the door.

“Ah, good, you're awake,” she said, as she entered the room and closed the door gently behind her. She walked over to where Lusam was sat looking out of the window, and stood behind him with her hands on his shoulders. Bending down, she kissed the top of his head, before whispering in his ear, “I thought I'd lost you forever. Please, don't ever do that to me again. I was so worried about you.”

“How long was I unconscious?” he asked, reaching up to hold one of her hands.

“Over four days.”

“FOUR DAYS?” Lusam screeched, spinning around to face her, and immediately wishing he hadn't, as his head swam in pain again from the sudden movement. Holding his head in both hands, he repeated his question much more sedately, “Four days? I was asleep for four days?”

“Almost five, actually. I was so worried about you Lusam. I would never have forgiven myself if you hadn't come back to me. It was my fault I forced you into trying to heal Lucy, it could have cost you your life. I'm so sorry.”

“It didn't. And you were right to make me try. Lucy is healthy again, and apart from this insane headache, I'm fine too. In a day or two I'm sure I'll be back to full strength again. Then we can finish the last of the books, and celebrate a job well done,” he said, smiling at her.

“Don't worry about the books. I've already finished cataloguing them while you were unconscious. I was at my wits' end with worry, and I had to keep my mind occupied, or I would have gone insane.”

“Wow! … Really? I'm so proud of you Neala. Well done!” he said, beaming with pride.

“It was easy. I had a great teacher,” she replied, ginning from ear to ear.

Lusam laughed at her compliment and teased her with, “Yes, I guess you did.”

Rolling her eyes at his statement, but not biting at the bait, she asked, “If you feel well enough by the day after tomorrow, there's a carnival in town. Maybe you could take me there to celebrate our success?”

“That sounds like a great idea. I'm sure I'll be fine by then. I feel almost back to full strength already,” he said, standing up to give her a passionate kiss.

After a few moments she freed herself from his kiss, pushed him away slightly, then replied grinning, “Yes, I can tell you're feeling better.” Then Neala turned and headed for the door. When she reached the door, she opened it, then turned back towards Lusam. “Save your strength. You never know, you might need it later,” she said, winking at him, as the door closed behind her.
Now I know for certain I won't get any more sleep today,
Lusam thought to himself.

Lusam was lying on his bed, when a quiet knock at his door startled him. “Come in,” he said, loud enough for whoever was outside the door to hear. The door opened and a woman peered around the door into his room. He recognised her as the maid who had been attending Lucy when he first came to this room. “Lillian isn't it?” Lusam asked.

“Yes sir, that's correct. Sorry to intrude, but I'm here to inform you that the evening meal will be served shortly. If you feel well enough, you're welcome to join the others in the dining room, in around fifteen minutes.”

“Thank you Lillian. I'll be down shortly.”

“Very good, sir,” Lillian replied, but hesitated in leaving the room. Instead, she stood there silently, looking a little apprehensive.

“May I help you with something else Lillian?”

“I … I would like to thank you for whatever you did to help Mrs Daffer. I have no idea how you did what you did, but thank you.”

Not knowing just how much she
did
know, Lusam simply smiled and replied, “You're welcome. I'm glad I could help.” Lillian nodded, smiled back and left the room.

Ten minutes later, Lusam entered the dining room to find Mr Daffer, Lucy and Neala already seated at the table. “Ah, glad you felt up to joining us Lusam. Please, take a seat. Dinner will be served shortly,” Mr Daffer announced.

“Thank you,” Lusam replied, taking a seat next to Neala. ”How are you feeling Lucy?”

“I feel almost as good as new, thanks to you Lusam. How about you? You still look a little tired to me.”

“Oh, I'm fine now thanks Lucy. Nothing a good night's sleep won't fix, I'm sure.”

“Well, you are both welcome to stay here as long as you like with us. Please don't think you have to leave now that your work is finished. We owe you a debt that could never be repaid, so as far as we are concerned, you're as good as family from now on,” said Mr Daffer.

Lusam didn't really know how to react to what Mr Daffer had just said, so he looked to Neala, who obviously had been told the same news already; because she didn't look half as shocked as she should have been.

“Er … Wow! Thanks Mr and Mrs Daffer. I don't
know what to say, except, thank you.”
“You're more than welcome Lusam,” Lucy replied, obviously amused by the surprise showing on his face. Just as Lusam was desperately trying to think of something to say—to fill the awkward silence—Lillian emerged through the double doors with the first dishes of the evening meal.

“Ah … wonderful, dinner has arrived,” announced Mr Daffer, breaking the silence.

“Is everything alright Lusam?” asked Lucy, looking a little concerned at how quiet he had become since he'd been given the news.

“Yes … yes of course. Why shouldn't it be?” replied Lusam, squirming a little in his seat as he said it.

“It's just you seem a little … preoccupied ever since we told you that you were both welcome to stay here as long as you like with us. I thought you might be happy here,” Lucy said, catching him completely off guard.

“Oh, no. I mean yes. Yes of course we'd be happy here with you both. Your offer is a very kind one. I … we … Neala and me, kind of had plans for after we finished here, but we haven't had time to talk since before, you know, before what just happened,” Lusam stammered, his face flushing to a bright red.

“Oh, is that all it is?” asked Lucy, looking relieved. “I thought we had done something to offend you in some way.”

“No … no, not at all,” Lusam quickly replied. “You've both been incredibly kind to us. The last thing I want to do is insult either of you by refusing your generous offer, especially after all you have done for us.”

He was about to continue, when Lucy laughed and said, “Oh, I'm sorry Lusam. I think you may have misunderstood our intentions. Of course you'll have plans for your future together, you're both very young still. You should know the offer remains open for you both, no matter what you decide to do now. If you decide to go off together and explore the world now, but need somewhere to stay in the future, our home will always be open to you both. What we're really trying to say is: if you ever need help, now, or in the future, and it's within our power to help, we would always do so willingly, you need only ask.”

Lusam sat at the table trying to absorb the information that Lucy had just given him. He now had a home to return to, and for the first time in a long time, he also had a place he could call home.

He was lost deep in thought when Neala took hold of his hand and gave it a small squeeze, bringing him back to the present. “I don't really know how to thank you both for your kindness,” Lusam replied, slightly choked up and with tears of joy starting to form in his eyes.

“Nonsense! We have thanks enough already. I have my Lucy back, when I thought I had lost her forever. So I
propose a toast … To the future, and whatever it brings!” said Mr Daffer, raising his glass.
They all lifted their glasses and repeated the toast; '
To the future, and whatever it brings.'

It was the day of the carnival, and both Neala and Lusam were looking forward to spending some time together, as well as spending some of their hard-earned cash. Lusam had never been to a carnival before. Once a year the carnival would come to Helveel, but the street kids were forbidden to enter the town square while it was running. Any street kid caught within the town square while the carnival was taking place, would be treated as a thief and dealt with accordingly. Once the carnival had packed up and left the town square, it became rich pickings for the street kids. So much wasted food and other items lay discarded all around the square, the guards turned a blind eye to the street kids taking their fill. Lusam knew the more the kids cleaned away, the less the local officials would need to arrange to be removed later.

Lusam never tried his luck with any of the items left behind by the carnival. The amount and relative quality of the plunder meant it was often fought over by the street kids. They would form gangs and alliances days before the
carnival would even arrive.
It was a dangerous time of year to be a lone street kid: many found themselves targets of the gangs around that time. As fast as the gangs and alliances were formed, they would just as quickly disappear again, as soon as the carnival had left town and it's remains fully plundered.

Lusam remembered his first year in Helveel, when he almost became a victim of one of these gangs, but he'd been fortunate enough to lose them in the back streets of Helveel. He remained mostly in his grate for the next few days until the carnival had left town, and things returned to normality again. The following year he had decided not to take any chances, and instead spent the time in the forest outside Helveel.

This year would be different. He was no longer a street kid of Helveel. He would have money in his pocket to spend and clean clothes on his back. No one could accuse him or Neala of being street kids any longer, they would be free citizens of Helveel, and would have the freedom of the city at last.

Mr Daffer had paid them for their work cataloguing the books, and together with the gold coins Lusam had made from the river, they each now had a good sum of money. Lusam had never had more than a coin or two in his pocket in his whole life. He didn't really know how to deal with having such a large amount of money on his person at
any one time.
Neala had shown him how, and where, best to carry his coins for safety, using the special leather coin pouches they'd bought in Helveel. She'd also suggested that they leave most of their coins in one of the chests, in the basement of the shop, while they visited the carnival, and only take with them what they might need for that day.

Mr Daffer had offered them both rooms upstairs in the main house after Lusam had recovered, but both Lusam and Neala felt more relaxed in their old sleeping cells, and had politely refused his offer. Lusam looked around his sleeping cell and knew he would really miss this place when they finally left. He was very happy knowing he could return here if he needed to, or wanted to, in the future for any reason.

“Hey! Are you ignoring me?” Neala asked.

“Er … no. Why?” Lusam replied confused, standing up from his bed.

“I called your name three times. I thought you'd gone without me.”

“Sorry … I was just thinking about things, that's all. Are you ready to go?”

“That's what I was trying to ask you. So, I guess we're ready then.”

“Great. How much money do you think we should take with us?” Lusam asked, weighing his coin pouch in his
hand.
“I doubt we'll need more than one gold between us. But make sure you take small value coins, and distribute them in different pockets. I know the street kids are not permitted to be there, but there'll certainly be plenty of cutpurses and pickpockets watching the crowds. You don't want to be pulling out large numbers of coins, or high value coins, in plain view,” Neala said, in a mother to child type voice.

“Okay, thanks. I'll do that,” Lusam replied sheepishly.